Riptide investigates the odds of a new generation of revolutionaries

Coburn also claimed bicycle paths are never used for transportation. He apparently has not been to Minneapolis: A recent survey counted more than 26,000 bicyclists passing through various checkpoints in the city over 24 hours. Roughly 10,000 of them were using dedicated urban bikeways.

In Florida, Martinez's support of the so-called "Coburn Amendment" has drawn criticism from local bicycling group members, who say the senator should be fighting for more, not less, bike funding. The Florida Bicycle Association and the Florida chapter of the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy have urged bike-lovers to sign an open letter to Martinez reprimanding him for the vote.

"Walkers and bicyclists represent 20 percent of all Florida traffic fatalities, among the worst in the nation," the letter states, adding, "the amendment would have constrained our far-reaching plans to create a statewide system of interconnected trails — a concept endorsed by numerous state legislatures and governors over the last 17 years."

Mike Gorman

It seems the senator doesn't feel the same way about biking as he does about boating. Just more than a month ago, Martinez introduced the Recreational Boating Bill, which would exempt boat owners from having to obtain a bureaucratically challenging Clean Water Act permit before hitting the waves. — Isaiah Thompson